14 – Deployment in East Prussia (1)
Deployment in East Prussia (1)
The German army was suffering from a major setback due to the cancellation of the Schlieffen Plan.
During the process of relocating the divisions that were left behind after the cancellation of the offensive against France, there was a massive traffic congestion and confusion.
As a result, numerous divisions and supplies became entangled on the Imperial railways. Staff officers had to develop operational plans with the divisions that had not yet arrived.
In the midst of this situation, news came that Russia was preparing for an offensive.
To be honest, it was something that was expected.
In the previous chapter, Russia had crossed the East Prussian border in just about two weeks.
There was no difference this time.
Based on aerial reconnaissance and wireless interception by the Imperial Air Force, as well as a projected scenario of the war situation, the General Staff estimated that Russia would begin its actions a week later. However, the actual attack took place earlier than I had anticipated.
“That’s why Schlieffen didn’t work.”
Even though I bit my tongue, I wasn’t worried about the defense of East Prussia.
I had already calculated the angle to win, so why worry about it?
Oh, the former commander of the 8th Army, von Prittwitz, has been replaced.
He was nothing but a traitor who only shouted for retreat and gave the opportunity for the enemy, Hindenburg, to take the stage.
Without von Prittwitz and with a good commander sent in, good news will surely come.
I believed in the victory of the German army without a doubt.
August 18, 1914, Eastern Germany, Rastenburg, north of Lake Masurian.
The Russian Northwestern Front Army, under the command of the First Army, was advancing into the inland of East Prussia, crossing the German border.
The German Eighth Army, tasked with stopping the Russian forces, had yet to show any significant reaction. Of course, there was no guarantee that the future would be smooth just because the initial attack was going well.
The only way into the inland of East Prussia, through the area of intertwined small lakes and rivers near Lake Masurian, was a narrow dirt road. And along that narrow passage, strongholds like the fortress of Ruchyń were holding their ground.
It was practically impossible to break through the lake region head-on.
There were two options.
Go north of the lakes or go south.
Even if they took those detours, Thorn, Graudenz, and Marienburg, old fortresses and strongholds, formed a series of defensive lines.
And even if they managed to break through these overlapping defensive lines, the fortress zone of Königsberg, consisting of twelve fortresses, protected the royal city.
It was impossible to swiftly conquer the heavily fortified East Prussia.
Nevertheless, Staffka wanted to occupy most of the Prussian territory east of the Vistula and the river Bzura before the German reinforcements arrived.
“Give us a month! Within that time, we will capture Königsberg and make the Kaiser pale-faced!”
“Nonsense.”
General Yakov Zhilinsky, the commander of the Northwestern Front Army, thought that such orders from the supreme command were unrealistic, but he did not refuse the instructions.
“Will you obey the order?”
“Are you implying that I should disobey?”
Taking into account logistical issues, Zhilinsky deployed his First and Second Armies to carry out operations from the north and south of the lake region, respectively.
Since their departure points were different, Zhilinsky distributed a timetable to ensure coordination.
Although the departure schedules of the First and Second Armies differed, once they passed through the lake region, they could meet up around the Angerapp River.
If the forces were divided and marched like this, they would be able to respond immediately to any aggressive operations by the German army attacking from the Baltic coast or launching an offensive on the Warsaw front.
There was a reason for the strategic deployment of troops by General Zhilinsky.
Of course, there was a risk of being scattered and easily defeated by a small number of enemies if the army was divided.
But there was no choice for the Northwestern Front. To support a large army of up to 480,500 troops, including only frontline forces of 300,000 and the reserve 10th Army of 185,000, a few roads were not enough.
If they had tried to accommodate the entire army with just one or two roads, they would not have entered East Prussia until August.
“It’s a bit risky, but it’s not a very dangerous risk. The German troops on the front lines are not even half of ours, right? By the time the German army is heavily reinforced, Rennenkampf and Samsonov can also join us, so it’s not a big problem.”
The tense relationship between the two generals was not a problem either.
“It will be advantageous for the commanders to have a mutually competitive relationship. Even if they have to compete fiercely, they won’t go slower than the enemy, right?”
Even if the German 8th Army attacked one of the Russian field armies that had been split into two, it would still be a fight of equal strength. If they just held their ankles, there would be enough time for the other field army to come to their support.
As the front-line commander was optimistic about the situation, the subordinate field commanders also underestimated the threat from the German army.
“Even if the Germans send field armies to the East, they will be at a level of confrontation with us. Aren’t we outnumbered?”
“Anyway, the Germans will only pay attention to Samsonov. We don’t need to worry.”
Both General Rennenkampf, who was in charge of the North, and General Samsonov, who was advancing southward towards the lake, expected that the German army would not actively engage in battle.
At least until late August, they wouldn’t have to worry about a German counterattack. They believed that.
But the German 8th Army, facing them, had plans to repel the advancing Russian army instead of crouching in their fortresses.
“The Russians have turned around. They’re watching us very easily. They’re pushing into East Prussia even when the reinforcements are coming? We should give them a lesson now.”
Newly appointed Commander of the 8th Army, Major General Alexander von Kluck, was an unusually aggressive advocate of offensive warfare even in the Prussian General Staff.
After relocating the headquarters to Rastenburg, which was located on the marching route of the advancing Russian army, Kluck, along with Lieutenant General Hermann von François, the commander of the 1st Corps, and Chief of Staff Hofmann, devised a bold counterattack plan.
“We will crush Rennenkampf in the north first.”
They would first crush the 1st Army of Rennenkampf, which was rapidly approaching from the north, and then strike the 2nd Army of Samsonov, which was slowly moving along the border from the south, and annihilate the entire Northwestern Front.
Kluk intended to completely neutralize the threat of the Russian army in East Prussia with two rotations.
The enemy’s position information, which is closely required for the operation, is relatively accurately provided through hot air balloons, aircraft, and wireless interception in the East Prussian sky, so the operational conditions were not bad.
“It’s fortunate that the Russians are moving while letting us know all their actions.”
Everyone burst into laughter at Kluk’s joke. Of course, no one mentioned the fact that if they were commanding the Russian army, they would have to adopt the Russian perspective.
“First, the Russian Second Army coming up from the south will have to cross lakes and rivers to enter the East Prussian hinterland, so it will take at least another week. Our goal is to capture the Rennenkampf while our forces use this time.”
Kluk pointed to Gumbinnen.
In actual history, it was a battlefield where the German army was defeated, but Kluk had no intention of passively approaching the battlefield like Fritz.
He intended to turn this area, where the main force of the Russian First Army would naturally gather, into the grave of Rennenkampf.
Kluk expected that if Rennenkampf entered Gumbinnen, the Russian Air Force would not be able to provide sufficient aerial reconnaissance.
“If we focus our power on Rennenkampf, won’t we expose our flanks and supply lines to Samsonov?”
“Of course, I acknowledge the risk. However, let’s remember that our reinforcements are constantly arriving. If Samsonov delays even a little, we will have ample opportunity to unfold our defensive line, won’t we?”
After hearing Kluk’s confident operational outline, Chief of Staff Hoffman pointed out one concern.
“I understand what you intend, Your Excellency. If we can prepare the battlefield in advance, we can gain an advantage in artillery placement and troop deployment. However, what about wireless interception?”
As the troops concentrate, the demand for wireless naturally increases.
It’s not a problem that can be solved just by deceiving aircraft.
If by any chance there is a mistake, the German troops, who left the Samsonov direction in the south empty, would inevitably face a fatal counterattack.
“Well, it wouldn’t be bad to temporarily go back to the methods of the Napoleonic era.”
“If our wireless suddenly decreases, won’t the Russians find it strange? Lies work well when you say something that the other person can expect.”
“Do you have a solution?”
Hoffman suggested his opinion.
“We need to create a unit that emits a large amount of false signals. And we must make the Russians believe that there is actually a unit there.”
“That’s quite a difficult task.”
“I dare to think that this is necessary for Your Highness’s trap to have the maximum effect.”
After thinking for a moment, Kluke agreed with Hoffmann’s opinion.
“It sounds plausible. Then let the chief of staff take responsibility for this part and proceed.”
*
“Russia is the problem.”
As Zekt pointed out, the Eastern Front was in a somewhat serious situation. Even if we exclude the Northwest Front, which had entered East Prussia, the Southwest Front under the command of Nikolai Ivanovich Ivanov, who aimed for the Austrian Galicia, was a formidable force that could be felt just by looking at the number of troops.
Just considering the subordinate units, the total number of the Northwest Front was nearly double that of the entire Southwest Front, reaching a million. It was not just a million in words; it was larger than the size of the German army maintained during peacetime.
As they discussed the serious matter, they arrived at their destination already.
As they got out of the car, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the count, greeted them politely.
“Nice to meet you, Your Excellency. I heard that you are preparing a new type M-class airship. How is the progress?”
“It’s being prepared as an object that is 158 meters long, has a load of 9.1 tons, and can reach a speed of 84 kilometers per hour.”
It sounded plausible when I heard it.
To be honest, airships were not very suitable for the purpose. They would crash and cause explosions if they got bored, killing precious skilled soldiers and technicians. I wondered what use they had.
However, the reason they didn’t stop the count’s airship design was that it was the only ‘strategic bombing’ means in this era.
After the appearance of fighter planes, it would become an item with zero utility, but at this point in time, it was a different story.
Although the bombing itself was limited to dropping only a few bombs due to the constraints of transportation weight, the psychological impact was considerable.
I looked around the airships that were hovering under the count’s guidance.
There were only three objects that were ready for immediate flight.
The rest had been lost due to accidents and such.
“It doesn’t seem worth it to use it as a bombing unit….”
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While lost in thought, the Viscount laid out his ambitions.
“I may have made a few mistakes, but this time will be different. The new airship is undoubtedly something the Navy will be satisfied with.”
The Navy?
“Wasn’t that airship supposed to be taken by the Army?”
Come to think of it, from the perspective of Count Chappelle, it seemed more advantageous to supply it to the Navy, which would surely appreciate it as a “scout.”
“But in the foggy waters of the North Sea, airships might not be so useful.”
Well, if I spoke too coldly, it might dampen the enthusiasm of the hard-working technicians, so I kept my thoughts to myself.
“Oh… and where is that page?”
The Viscount rummaged through the stack of papers held by his assistant.
Watching him, a thought flashed through my mind.
“This.”
“Yes?”
The Viscount stumbled, asking.
“A paper bomb.”
The paper bomb, or “bira,” achieved its greatest success strategically during the US Army Air Force’s bombing of mainland Japan in 1945.
At the time, the US military put dozens of Japanese cities on the bombing list and then scattered biras throughout Japan.
The Japanese who saw this were seized with terror and carried out large-scale evacuations from the major cities that had been targeted.
The bira, which the US military dropped as a warning for the bombings, had a profound effect on Japan’s ability to wage war, causing it to decline rapidly.
Of course, the current German army air force did not possess the same capability as the United States, which had burned Tokyo to ashes in a single bombing.
If you don’t have the ability, threats are ineffective.
Writing the name of a city and scattering it around would not yield any results. So, a different form of propaganda was needed.
“What do you mean?”
If you try to bomb them, it will only cause a slight psychological shock. But if you see how your sons are dying on the front lines, the story would be different.
Could there be a large-scale uprising?
In the late stages of the war, France in actual history was plagued by large-scale strikes, disobedience, and uprisings.
If the French government had not withstood it, the negotiating forces may have collapsed during the German offensive at Ludendorff.
Dropping a few tons of bombs, killing a few people, and scaring them a little, or shaking up the entire society.
Which side would be advantageous?
Considering the fact that Vietnam defeated the unbeatable United States through a propaganda offensive, the strategic advantage was clear.
Instead of explaining, he gave the count instructions.
“Only design the newly built airship, and then focus all your efforts on maintaining the existing airships.”
“But, Your Majesty.”
“If you work hard for a year, I will support the count with the super-sized airship he desires.”
“I will gladly work for the sake of Germany. Even if we have to rotate the employees in two shifts, we will achieve the operational rate as much as Your Majesty desires.”
Count Zeppelin and I shook hands, both wearing smiles of capitalism.
Gold is always right.